premium is an occupational defined benefit pension scheme. It provides a way of saving for your retirement. Over the years, you and your employer both make contributions to the scheme. When you retire, we pay you a pension based on the years you contributed to the scheme and on your pensionable earnings in your final years of service.
premium was closed to new entrants from 30 July 2007.
After 31 March 2015, with the introduction of alpha, no person is in or is eligible to be in pensionable service under premium unless the person is a protected member. This is because all other members would have transitioned into the alpha scheme from 1 April 2015.
A protected member means a full protection member, a tapered protection member or an ill-health protection member.
If you have transitioned into alpha and you want to find out more about how this affects your pension, you should read the alpha scheme guide found here.
Protected members who left their previous Civil Service post because of ill health retirement and are receiving an upper-tier pension are not eligible to become a member of the PCSPS or alpha if they rejoin within five years. If they rejoin with a gap in service of more than five years they can join alpha or partnership.